Chinese courier firms to hike delivery fees next month

(ECNS) -- Starting from June 1, some Chinese express delivery companies will hike delivery fees, Beijing Times reported on Friday.

Delivery fees refer to the income a courier gets from collecting or delivering a mail or parcel, insiders said.

Companies including YTO, STO, ZTO, Yunda and Best have all published a notice on 56ec.org.cn, a Chinese e-commerce logistics service portal. The companies asked all outlets to increase delivery fees by 0.15 yuan (.02) per ticket from previous levels, effective from June 1, the paper said.

Employees at YTO, STO and Yunda said delivery fees would be hiked, but no details or timetable had been given.

All the express companies involved in the hike operate on a franchise model, saying the move was aimed at improving delivery service quality and preventing cutthroat competition, according to the paper.

SF Express, an industry leader that sticks to a company-owned model, will not join the price hike, it said.